Kansas City, Mo. ? Cliff Lee faced only two batters over the minimum while pitching a three-hit shutout in a 2-0 victory over Kansas City on Thursday night that gave the Cleveland Indians a doubleheader sweep.

Lee (4-0) struck out nine and did not issue a walk while shrinking his major league-best earned-run average to 0.28 as the Royals lost their seventh straight game. In 312â3 innings over four starts, the 6-foot-3 left-hander has allowed only one run. His nine strikeouts tied his career best. It was his first shutout and fourth career complete game.

He allowed a single in the second inning to Jose Guillen, a leadoff double to Guillen in the fifth and a two-out single in the ninth to David DeJesus. Lee, who battled injuries much of last season, threw 120 pitches, 86 for strikes.

In the opener, Grady Sizemore, Casey Blake and Jason Michaels all had two RBIs and powered the Indians to a 9-6 victory in their first series-clinching victory since they opened the season by taking two of three from the Chicago White Sox.

Kansas City starter Brian Bannister (3-2) faced only one batter over the minimum in the second game until David Dellucci hit his first pitch of the seventh inning over the fence in left. Travis Hafner followed with a double and scored on Asdrubal Cabrera’s two-out double. Bannister went 62â3 innings and was charged with two runs and four hits.

Dellucci’s homer was the first earned run Bannister had allowed at home in 18 innings.

Guillen singled off Lee in the second and was erased in a double play. Guillen opened the fifth with a double, but Lee then struck out the side.

In the opener, Fausto Carmona (3-1) survived five shaky innings and benefited from an early 7-1 lead in the third against Brett Tomko (1-3).

“We started off on the wrong foot,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “It’s good to see us put some runs on the board. We couldn’t stop the bleeding.”